Facility aims to help individuals regain their way

Program Manager Brian Gordon speaks in one of the gardens behind the new Quabbin Retreat in Petersham.
SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE PHOTOS / ASHLEY GREEN

PETERSHAM -- Surrounded by more than 80 acres of forest, in a dormitory space last used to house elderly nuns, a small group of counselors has quietly started a new battle against addiction and mental health issues.

"A lot of the people who are coming here have dignity, but maybe feel like they lost a bit of it along the way ... You can come here, get treatment, be treated with respect, and hopefully regain something you lost," said Brian Gordon, program supervisor for the Dana Day Treatment Center.

The center, which offers intensive outpatient services, is Phase One of The Quabbin Retreat, an entire campus being built by Heywood Healthcare in Petersham to specifically target people suffering from addiction or mental health issues. Doors were officially opened to patients June 5.

"So far they really seem to enjoy it, and what's great is they are forming these groups. It's really impressive to watch them connect, especially when they're coming from such different backgrounds," Gordon said.

Patients attend individual and group counseling sessions at the center throughout the week from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The center currently has a maximum of 20 patients at a time, a majority of whom have been from the communities surrounding Petersham, such as Athol and Orange.

"We do have outpatient therapy available, but we're lacking in substance-abuse treatment in this area," said Amy Softic, the center's clinical care coordinator.

Advertisement

"We've already had quite a few referrals, and since we opened we're starting to thrive. I think people in this area are going to flock here."

As Gordon explained, the more western portion of the state the center is located in sees above-average drug and alcohol use, yet simultaneously lacks local services to treat addiction. He estimated that any local resident seeking out a detox facility would probably have to travel as far as Worcester to find treatment.

The Dana Day Treatment Center is in the southern-most wing of what was once the home of the Sisters of Assumption. The 75,000-square-foot space was acquired by the sisters during the 1950s and was being used as a nursing home and residence until it was acquired by Heywood Healthcare. The day treatment center only takes up about 3,200 square feet, while the remainder of the campus is being built out over the next two phases of The Quabbin Retreat's construction. Heywood Healthcare estimates that conversion of the property will likely cost about $3 million.

"We had to start with something that makes sense on a continuum. If we started with detox, but didn't have residences for people then they would detox then go right back into reuse," Gordon said.

The rest of the project's first phase will involve converting the former nursing home wing of the building into a 40-bed adult residential substance abuse center, as well as the center's dining and recreational facilities and additional administrative and medical offices. Construction of the residential wing is already underway and expected to be completed in the next 12 months.

Phase Two of The Quabbin Retreat will see the renovation of the former novice sisters' dormitories into residential space for adolescent patients, while the third and final phase will encompass the development of the retreat's 10-bed inpatient detox center and inpatient mental health unit.

Gordon also said that a former cottage on the property is being viewed as possible on-site housing for the retreat's medial director, visiting doctors or nursing staff.

Although the retreat won't have any religious ties, Heywood Healthcare is trying to retain some of the building's history. The bench located in the Dana Day Treatment Center had once been a pew in the facility's former chapel. Many of the building's doors, which have windows in the shapes of crucifixes, have been removed and donated to local churches.

Much of the property's main building, a more-than-century-old mansion once owned by a local doctor, also remains intact. The home's garden area and backyard teahouse will stay available for patients of the retreat.

Although the property sits on more than 80 acres, Gordon said Heywood Healthcare has yet to decide what other uses might be developed.

Once fully staffed, the retreated is expected to have created 165 new jobs, which includes positions directly involved with treatment of patients, but also positions in general housekeeping and kitchen staff.

Welcome to your discussion forum: Sign in with a Disqus account or your social networking account for your comment to be posted immediately, provided it meets the guidelines. (READ HOW.)
Comments made here are the sole responsibility of the person posting them; these comments do not reflect the opinion of The Sentinel and Enterprise. So keep it civil.